The present invention generally relates to a driver circuit for semiconductor switches, and more particularly to a driver circuit for high voltage applications, of a type including first and second control units which alternately control respective first and second semiconductor switches to alternately connect the output of the circuit to respective first and second supply voltage terminals.
A circuit of this type is described, for example, in DE 34 15 011 A1 and includes two semiconductor switches which are implemented as MOS transistors in a half-bridge configuration. Each of the semiconductor switches connects a respective terminal of a power supply to an output of a circuit. A control unit controls the semiconductor switches with opposite phases, i.e. in a push-pull configuration.
This circuit has the disadvantage that the control units require control signals of different voltage levels which are difficult to generate with low-cost switching means, in particular at high supply voltages.